3 Cohens and 2 Atwoods
by Greysrocksmysocks
Summary: A new addition to the Cohen family plus one...very cute


No matter what happened, he would always be there to protect his family… Kirsten was the love of his life, Seth was the living representation of their love, and Ryan, well Ryan was the missing link and completed his family…until Sarah came along.

What the Cohens weren't aware of was the existence of Sarah Atwood, Ryan's sister. When he first came to Newport, she had left with Dawn. Now Dawn couldn't take care of her anymore, she was too busy with boyfriends and keeping a job. Sarah was just 2 when Ryan left but she remembered him well, he was like a father to her (since her biological dad was one of Dawn's many flings) and gave her all the love and attention she deserved and needed to be happy. Sarah was now 5, her mother sent her to Newport, hoping the Cohens would adopt her like Ryan, and give her a life she only but merited.

Ryan had woken up only half an hour before the doorbell rang.

"Hi, I'm here to see Ryan Atwood," Sarah said in a tiny voice.

"This is him," he didn't know who she was, it had been so long. But he sensed that her presence would change something if not everything in his life.

"I'm Sarah, your little sister, remember me?"

"Oh my God Sarah!" He went to hug her and didn't let her go; he had missed her so much…

Kirsten came in

"Sweetie, who's your friend?"

"I haven't had a chance to talk to you guys about her but this is my little sister Sarah. She's what? 5 years old now!" He couldn't believe how she'd grown, the last time he saw her she was just a baby.

"By the way how did you get here?" Ryan asked concerned.

"Mommy put me in a cab and gave the driver your address. She said it's where you live now. Oh, and she asked me to give you this," She handed him a letter.

Ryan could here tears in her voice. She was sad and confused, mostly confused.

He read the letter; it was actually just a couple sentences asking him to take care of his sister because his biological mother wasn't able to support a child when she couldn't even support herself.

"Come here honey, do you want breakfast?" Kirsten asked sweetly. Sarah nodded but flinched when she grabbed her hand.

_What was it with these Atwood kids, why were they so distant and afraid? _

Sandy came in after surfing and saw the little girl seated at the table eating dry cereals. _"Just like Ryan…" _he thought.

He gave a salty kiss to Kirsten and ruffled Ryan's hair. Sarah was happy to see that her brother was well treated. This reassured her and she somehow opened up, believing that if Ryan let this man ruffle his hair it meant that they could be trusted.

"Sweetheart, may I ask who this adorable girl is? Have you been hiding a daughter?" he said trying to make everybody laugh.

Unfortunately nobody thought it was funny. Kirsten just explained briefly the situation and said they needed to talk.

Sarah had bright blue eyes and chestnut hair that curled at the end. She had an adorable smile too.

Kirsten didn't know why but this kid got to her, she felt like she's known her all along. Sarah spoke with her eyes and Ryan's foster mother somehow understood what his little sister was trying to say.

As soon as she was alone with Sandy she asked him if they could be her foster parents.

"Honey, even though I'm sure a little girl in the house would make everyone happy and keep you busy shopping, I don't know if it's best for her," Sandy said sincerely.

"But she's so small; she needs a family that loves her and gives her all the attention she wants. Besides I would love a girl in the house, get to be a mommy again. Now that the boys are all grown up, I miss it." She was almost pleading.

"Okay, we'll give it a shot. But be very delicate when explaining it to her, she's only 5,"

A lot would change in the Cohen household, but only in a good way.

Sarah was in the family room with Seth and Ryan when Kirsten came in

"Seth! I see you've met Sarah."

"Indeed mom. It's so great, now I have a sister and I don't need to think of you and dad…well you know… still… _doin' it_" Seth started to ramble but was cut short by his mom.

"Sarah, darling, I'd like you to listen carefully,"

Sarah sat down on Ryan's lap.

"Do you want to stay a little while with us and Ryan, get to know everyone?" Kirsten saw in Sarah's eyes that she expected more. "And maybe stay permanently? Only if you want it of course," A smile spread across the girl's face and Kirsten felt her heart melt. She knew that's what she wanted, an invitation into their home, into their family.

"You don't have to, seriously," Ryan blurted, typical of him but Sarah on the other hand was excited and thanked Kirsten a million times at least.

Sandy came in and they all hugged. Even though Sarah had just arrived, it seemed that she always belonged there, with them.

Kirsten had taken the day off to go shopping with her new daughter and Ryan. She was so excited she didn't realize what time it was until Sandy called and asked what they wanted for dinner.

"Mac and Cheese is fine, I'll make a salad when we get home. Love you,"

She had bought tons of clothes and toys but also furniture for the guest room, now becoming Sarah's room. Kirsten was beaming; she had finally a little girl to 'play' with. She could tell that her relationship with Sarah was gonna be completely different from the one with Ryan, or even Seth. For a mother, having a son is wonderful but having a daughter is magical…

When they got home, Seth and Sandy were in the kitchen.

"Mom, we're goin' out tonight. Diner with the girls and then maybe go to the movies. I promise your car will be safe and we'll be home by eleven. Except if…" Seth stopped right there, not wanting to share more information.

"What about me?" Sarah asked in a sad, sad voice that made Seth regret what he just said.

"Baby, I promised a friend I'd see her tonight. We can hang out as much as you want tomorrow," Ryan assured calmly. He knew Kirsten and Sandy wouldn't mind looking after her. He also knew that Marissa would be pissed off if he didn't show up.

"Tonight you get to stay with Sandy and **THE** Kirsten," Seth winked at Sarah and she giggled.

"Come on Seth we're gonna be late. Remember Summer; rage blackouts…I love you and am so glad you're back," Ryan directed the last sentence to his baby sister.

When the boys left, Kirsten picked up Sarah in her arms and tenderly hugged her. She didn't respond but Kirsten knew it would take time.

While Sandy prepared dinner, they went upstairs. Kirsten bathed Sarah and got her into her pretty pink pyjamas. She took every occasion she had to bond with her new daughter.

Surprisingly, Sarah was very calm during dinner and even after that when they put on a movie. She fell asleep cuddled up in Sandy's arms in the middle of the movie. Sandy hadn't felt this sensation since Seth was a child, he understood why Kirsten said earlier that she missed it; he did too.

The peaceful look on her face washed away any doubts the foster parents had. They had made the right decision.

They put her to bed and went downstairs to see the end of the movie. Sarah started tossing and turning not long after she was put to bed, and woke up a couple times. Being disoriented, she was even more afraid. She started crying softly but intensified her cry when she heard some noise.

Kirsten who was falling asleep in her husband's arms jumped from her seat when she heard sobs coming from upstairs. Now in full mom-mode she entered Sarah's room and immediately took her in her arms.

She was secretly thankful that Ryan wasn't home yet. Sure he hadn't seen his sister in a very long time and missed her but Kirsten wanted to be the one to comfort Sarah. She was selfish but she didn't care.

While rocking her she said "It's alright sweetheart, I'm right here with you, everything's fine."

"What happened baby, did you have a bad dream?" she asked Sarah after she'd stop crying.

"I, I, I, I was lost in the woods and couldn't find my way back home," she said teary-eyed.

Kirsten held her closer to her body and lulled her back to sleep. She stiffened at first but relaxed when her foster mother began to stroke her silky hair. While covering her little girl with the sheets, she saw Sandy at the door. Kirsten made sure Sarah was sound asleep before exiting the room and joining her husband.

Later in the master bedroom, Ryan and the parents were talking.

"Thanks for taking care of her tonight, I hope she wasn't too tough to take," Ryan said genuinely.

"Are you kidding?! She was the sweetest little girl. And I am glad she's here, there were too many men in the house!" Kirsten blurted out.

Sandy looked at her and grinned, it had been a long time since she was this cheerful. After rehab and Sandy always busy with the Newport Group, she felt depressed and abandoned.

Later that night Sandy heard his wife rummage through some boxes only to see her pull out an old yet perfectly preserved Care Bear. Cheer Bear was Kirsten's favorite Care Bear when she was little and she wanted her daughter to have it. She believed that when her little girl would be sad and she wasn't around, Cheer Bear would cheer her baby up and put a smile back on that face.

She went upstairs and placed the bear on Sarah's bed. She kissed her goodnight and walked out of the room leaving the door ajar.

Kirsten was surprised by the speed at which she accustomed to the little girl. Sarah instantly found the key to her heart. She knew she'd accept her and love her right away when she saw what took place in her eyes, their intensity.

She then climbed into bed and cuddled up to Sandy who welcomed her in his arms. She drifted off in no time. No words were spoken between both of them but it wasn't necessary. Sandy got his answers from looking at his darling's face; serenity and joy were written all over it.

He truly believed Sarah was a gem sent to them from heaven.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Sarah woke up the following day at the crack of dawn. She remembered how she was taken in by her brother's foster parents but that was it. It took her a while to put everything back in place; the house, the people. She looked around her room and noticed the Care Bear Kirsten had put on her bed the night before. Sarah was pleased; she grabbed it and then squeezed it hard in her arms, giving it a hug. This was too good to be true, she believed it wasn't gonna last long.

All the doubts and apprehensiveness that had vanished the day before reappeared in the morning. Not only didn't she know the Cohens, but she also didn't know her brother. She suddenly felt very lonely.

Going down the stairs she wondered what her day with Ryan would be like. She placed a chair in front of the French doors in the kitchen and watched the sun rise.

"I wish I had crayons," she murmured.

She didn't notice Sandy behind her. He was on his way out to the beach when he saw a small body in the kitchen. He stopped and looked at her carefully. Having heard what she said, he went back to his office and very delicately opened a cabinet. He took out some paper, a pencil, an eraser, and crayons. He put everything on the kitchen table and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"You're up early kiddo," Sandy said stroking her hair. He remarked the stuffed bear and grinned.

"_Kirsten is gonna be thrilled,"_ he thought.

"Morning,"

Sarah was more distant than the night before but it was understandable; she had to readjust to a whole new environment. She fetched the drawing supplies and started sketching.

"Thank you for the crayons," she said with a faint smile.

Sandy left her in the kitchen drawing.

She stayed there for quite some time. The rest of the family was still sleeping.

She took the paper, put it horizontally and drew a straight line in the middle. On the left side she put the sunrise as well as the infinity pool and four people standing next to it. There were only bright colors: red, pink, blue, green, yellow, orange. The right side however depicted two people with cuts on their faces and a house falling apart. The colors were grim; shades of black and grey constituted this portion of the drawing. The picture was pretty eloquent for a little girl this age.

All of a sudden she became angry and started doodling all over the right side, the black one. She put so much strength in wrecking it that she made a hole.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO," she was yelling uncontrollably. You could sense fury in her voice.

"AAAAARRRGGGHHHHH," she was overwhelmed and couldn't stop shouting. An overflow of tears accompanied the screams.

Kirsten woke up in panic, and ran towards the noise. She saw Sarah kicking and screaming on the kitchen floor.

"Honey calm down!" Kirsten shouted.

Nothing, Sarah didn't stop. She cried so much her cheeks started burning and her throat dried out because of the screaming. Now she even had the hiccups.

"Mom, what's all this noise about?" Seth asked sleepily.

At the same time Ryan entered the kitchen and saw the scene. He immediately crouched to Sarah's level and squeezed her tight. She stopped.

This is what Ryan did to soothe her when she was still a baby, he squeezed her tight.

Kirsten gave Sarah a glass of warm milk and honey.

"This should help her calm down," she told Ryan.

Ryan and Seth stayed with Sarah upstairs to make sure she was okay. Meanwhile Kirsten spotted the little girl's drawing on the table. She had found the trigger of the outburst.

Sarah spent the entire afternoon and evening alone, not wanting to talk, eat or play. She seemed lost in her thoughts. That's what she did all day, think. The only thing she didn't let go was the Cheer Bear Kirsten had given her. This was her way of staying connected to the real world. Every time someone would come up to her she would turn her head facing the other side.

"She sure loves Cheer Bear!" Sandy said playfully, looking at the girl through the window.

"Sandy it's not funny! I don't know what to do; Ryan doesn't know what to do…" Kirsten was deeply worried.

The persistent feeling Sarah had was that of guilt. Yesterday she wanted one thing, become a member of the Cohen family. Today she felt guilty; guilty of leaving Dawn, even though she's the one who deliberately sent her here.

That night Ryan put her to bed. She was still silent and nobody was allowed to approach her except her brother. This broke Kirsten's heart.

"_One step forward, two steps back,"_ she thought.

Sarah decided to leave in the morning; she wanted to go back to her mother. Truth be told she didn't really want to leave, but she didn't wanna leave Dawn alone either.

_Guess all Atwood kids have this 'hero' thing going on, huh? _

She opened the front door and started walking down the driveway when she noticed Seth's skateboard near the door.

"_I'll probably get home faster with this," _she took it and rolled down the alley.

At the exact same time Kirsten went to check on the little girl. Maybe she was in a better mood and would agree to eat some food. She entered the room and noticed the empty bed. She checked the bathroom; also empty. She continued her search downstairs, in vain. Not wanting to frighten her boys, she called the gate asking them to call her if they saw a little girl around age 5 with light brown hair.

She threw on some clothes and got in the car. She had to look for Sarah by herself, Sandy was still surfing.

Sarah was rolling down the streets, turning left then right, and left again. She didn't know where she was but she guessed it was the right route since she recognized a couple houses she had seen the previous day when she was in the cab.

Kirsten was driving frenetically in the multiple alleys of the gated community. She caught a glimpse of Sarah's bright blue hoodie and thanked God their gated community was so big that she wasn't outside yet.

Sarah was sitting on the curb, her face in her hands. She was crying; most certainly because she couldn't find her way.

"Sweetheart are you hurt? What happened? Why did you leave?" Kirsten bombarded Sarah with questions.

"I'm lost," she said crying.

"You scared me so much; promise me you'll never leave the house again without telling someone,"

"I'm not a nice girl! I left my mommy alone. That's not nice of me,"

The little girl was so distressed that she offered no resistance when Kirsten lifted her in her arms and embraced her.

"I'm sorry," whispered Sarah.

In the middle of the street, a mother whispered sweet nothings to appease her daughter's fears.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

A week had passed since the morning outburst. Sarah was a little more cooperative, but mostly with Ryan and sometimes Kirsten. She was at the stage where she needed to be constantly reassured and surrounded. Every night, Ryan would tuck her in and wait for her to be asleep before leaving the room.

Sarah had been with the Cohens and her brother for a week and a half now and she was slowly getting habituated. One night they were all in the den after dinner talking.

"Seth, wanna come surf with your dad tomorrow morning?"

"Haha, real funny dad! Me and a surfboard…not compatible. Why don't you ask Ryan, I'm sure he'd love to go with you!" Seth said ironically.

"Ryan, interested?"

"Euh, I'd love to but me and heights…not compatible either!"

Sarah eyed Ryan. She really wanted to go but she was too shy to ask. Sandy saw the glance and asked her.

"Sarah, wanna come surfing with me tomorrow?"

She nodded shyly and slightly grinned. She was very excited to go but didn't want to show it.

Sandy grabbed her and started tickling her. Sarah was laughing so hard tears started flowing down her cheeks.

"She's only 5, yet she's the most courageous. You should all be ashamed!" Sandy said jokingly.

Sarah was on the floor trying to catch her breath when Ryan told her it was time to go to bed. Her brother was doing all the parenting because he wanted to give Sarah time to adapt to Sandy and Kirsten. She stood up but instead of taking Ryan's hand, she went towards Kirsten and grabbed hers. She was taken aback; usually Sarah let only Ryan take her to bed.

They went upstairs and Sarah put her pajamas on, and then took Cheer Bear in her arms.

"Can you stay with me? I'm scared when I'm alone," Sarah explained timidly.

"Of course baby,"

Sarah climbed on her lap and moved closer to her foster mom. They stayed this way for quite some time.

The next morning at the beach, Sandy put Sarah with him on his board and taught her the basic moves. She was genuinely happy and enjoyed every second in the water. At some point she tried to stand up but she fell and swallowed a mouthful of water.

"It burns!" she cried.

Sandy tapped her back so she could spit out the water and soon after she was back on the board.

Back at home the boys and Kirsten were having breakfast when Sarah came in running.

"How was surfing little sis' ?"

"It was the best! I was on the board with Sandy and I surfed a little and then I fell and swallowed the water but after it was better and I surfed again!" she said out of breath.

Later that day, she was drawing in the kitchen when Seth came in.

"Hey Sarouchka! What're you drawin'?"

It was the first time Seth had called her using a nickname but she liked it. It made her feel more apart of the family.

"It's a surprise!" she said hiding her drawing.

"Come here, I'm gonna show you a couple drawing techniques,"

"Can you help me with my drawing?" She asked after seeing Seth's skills.

"Sure,"

Seth and Sarah made a beautiful painting. They decided they'd give it to the parents at dinner.

That night,

"Mom, dad, Princess Sarouchka and I have something for you,"

Sarah came in the kitchen wearing a beautiful dress Kirsten had bought her the first day, and a tiara: a little princess. She gave the drawing to Sandy and Kirsten and then sat on Seth's lap. Both adults looked at the work and were amazed.

"I helped with the drawing but the rest is Sarah," Seth clarified.

There was a big heart in the background with five people standing in front. Seth had drawn the characters; each one represented a member of the family. Above it, it said in big letters THANK YOU. Seth had written it because Sarah didn't know how to write yet, but she did the coloring.

Sandy stood up and took the little girl in his arms. He hugged her so tight she couldn't breathe.

"You're the cutest, most adorable little girl. Thank YOU for bringing _more_ life into this house,"

Sarah reciprocated the hug when he said that. Kirsten joined the embrace and gave Sarah a big kiss.

Later that evening they put the drawing on the fridge.

Ryan was happy to see his baby sister and his foster parents together, getting along so well.

The next morning, Sandy had a surprise; well…two.

The first one: today was the day they became Sarah's official foster parents.

The second: he rented a small yacht for the day. He wanted to take his family out at sea to celebrate and spend some quality time.

At 6 am he decided to wake up his wife.

"Kirsten, darling," he said tenderly stroking her arm.

"Mmmmmmmm. What's the matter?"

"I have a surprise. Wake up Sarah; I'll wake up the boys. Prepare a bag with spare bathing suits, towels and everything beach-related,"

Kirsten didn't understand everything but she did what Sandy instructed.

"Sweetheart, wake up,"

"Mmmmm. I wanna sleep! It's not morning yet,"

Kirsten took the little girl in her arms and went downstairs. Her head was resting on Kirsten's shoulder, she was still asleep.

The boys were downstairs, also groggy.

"Today, we're spending the day on a yacht, so get ready; we're leaving the house in half an hour. Boys, you can invite your female cohorts," Sandy announced.

Seth called Summer and Ryan called Marissa. Summer agreed right away and said she would meet them at the marina. Marissa however didn't answer her phone.

In the car Sandy explained why he'd organized this outing. Sarah was excited when she heard Sandy and Kirsten were her foster parents; they were all joyful. Seth started talking profusely and Sarah who was sitting in the middle put her hand on his mouth so he would stop. He found this gesture so sweet that he indeed stopped chatting. Soon after, her facial expression changed and she seemed pensive.

She was silent for the rest of the ride. She spoke only when they were going out of the harbor. Summer, Seth, and Ryan were at the front while the rest was on the upper deck.

"What about mommy? She's gonna be all alone now that I'm with you," She inquired.

This subject had been bothering her and she couldn't find an answer.

"Don't worry baby, she's not alone. She knows you're safe with us and that makes her happy," Sandy replied kissing her forehead.

"_Finally she was able to exteriorize," _they both thought.

"So…this means that now you're my new mommy and daddy?" She said shortly after.

"You could say that…"

"So…can I call you mommy and daddy?" The tone of her voice was soft.

"If that's what you want, of course,"

"YAY!!!" Sarah had a huge grin on her face. Her blue eyes who matched her beach dress were glowing. She jumped on Kirsten and gave her a gigantic hug.

Kirsten was ecstatic; she was finally a mommy again…

"RYAN, RYAN," Sarah shouted.

"Yes Sarouchka?"

"You're not allowed to call me that, only Seth can call me Sarouchka!" She reprimanded.

"Come up, come up!" She was so agitated.

"We have the same mommy and daddy now," she said when Ryan came up.

"That's great. Thanks a lot you guys," Ryan hugged both his foster parents. This shocked them; it was the first time Ryan ever _spontaneously_ embraced them.

The rest of the day was great. They had lunch in Catalina and Sarah played a lot with her siblings and Summer.

On the way back the wind was very cold. Sarah took refuge under a towel in her new mother's arms.

"I'm happy that you're my new mommy," she said from the bottom of her heart.

"And I'm thrilled to have you as my daughter,"

Sandy snapped a picture of the two girls. After that, they started talking pictures of everybody and Summer took one of family in its entirety.

Sandy would make sure that the last picture would be developed the following day and framed.


End file.
